


Reach Out and Touch Someone

by Brate



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-01
Updated: 2013-07-01
Packaged: 2017-12-16 17:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brate/pseuds/Brate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sheppard and McKay communicate in their own way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reach Out and Touch Someone

The first one landed on his desk in the lab. Rodney stared at it for a few seconds, not really understanding what he was looking at. It appeared to be a paper airplane. 

Rodney glanced around the room, but everyone in there had their heads down and were working—for once—and no one seemed to be watching for his reaction. 

He let his curiosity fade, crumbled up the airplane, and tossed it into his trash.

****

The second one landed on his tray in the lunchroom, sliding neatly between his plate and the bowl of pudding. This time he didn't waste a second studying the airplane, instead he looked around to see who could have possibly thrown it. 

No one who had been in his lab that morning was in the lunch area. Though there were a few people watching him curiously, none seemed to have an air of superiority, like they'd gotten one over on him. He pushed the plane under his plate, finished his meal, and threw it away with the rest of his tray.

****

Late afternoon, he was running some tests on the gate when something poked him in the back of the head. He didn't have to turn around to know there would be an airplane lying at his feet. He didn't bother to look for the culprit, either, knowing he wouldn't be able to spot them. He simply finished his job. 

Someone was playing a joke on him; he wasn't going to react to it and satisfy their maliciousness. 

****

Two more came the next day, and Rodney tried to ignore them as much as possible. Then, about three in the afternoon, a plane landed onto his tablet computer. Rodney barely paused in his work to sweep it off to the side.

Then Sheppard's voice sounded in his earpiece. "Open the damn thing, McKay."

Puzzled, Rodney looked back at the airplane. He picked it up and unfolded it, finding a note written inside: _Meet me at the pool_.

Making a quick excuse to Zelenka, who dismissed him with a fluttery hand, Rodney half-ran to the nearest transporter. 

Down in the bowels of Atlantis, far away from the prying eyes of the control room automatons, Rodney hurried to the particular body of water where his team often swam laps. Sheppard was already there, fiddling with floating obstacles. As Rodney stepped closer, John proudly motioned to two radio-controlled boats.

"Since you crashed the cars," he said, handing over one of the remotes, "I figured we could use a new hobby."

"I crashed them?" Rodney scoffed. "I think it was your idea to see how fast they would go around that corner."

"But you went along with it, so it's on you, buddy."

"Well, what was up with these?" Rodney asked, shaking the last plane in front of John's face.

Sheppard grabbed the wrinkled paper, refolded it, and threw the plane across the room, watching as it sailed in a perfect arc over the water. "I thought it would be fun. Who knew you'd be such a stick-in-the-mud?" He paused. "Oh, right…everyone who's ever met you." 

"Is there something wrong with an e-mail?"

John shrugged. "I'm a pilot; I couldn't resist sending it airmail."


End file.
